Existing optical transmitters have static output configurations. Therefore, existing optical transmitters must be designed specifically for their intended application or network location, and cannot be used for different applications. Additionally, if specific signals are to be routed and/or combined to different locations in a network, existing solutions require a separate switching element on the transmitter chip or at some external location in the network. Requiring a separate switching element can result in increased power consumption and circuit size for the extra components, and higher loss in the system.
Descriptions of certain details and implementations follow, including a description of the figures, which may depict some or all of the embodiments described below, as well as discussing other potential embodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presented herein. An overview of embodiments of the invention is provided below, followed by a more detailed description with reference to the drawings.